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Memorial Day weekend signals the beginning of the summer recreation season at state parks.

At Grand Lake St. Marys in western Ohio, however, the holiday seems to mark the return of toxic
algae warnings.

State officials are warning seniors, young children and those with compromised immune systems
that swimming and wading is not recommended at Grand Lake because of high concentrations of toxic
blue-green algae.

Test results this week included one sample in which the concentration of a liver toxin was five
times as high as a World Health Organization safety standard for swimmers. It was more than 16
times as high as Ohio’s standard for issuing warnings.

The 13,000-acre lake has been plagued with toxic algae problems since high levels were first
discovered there in 2009. Annual warnings have hurt the local tourism economy.

“Like everyone else, we’re frustrated by this news,” Matt Eiselstein, a Department of Natural
Resources spokesman, wrote in a statement.

“It’s a reminder of the challenges that continue to face the lake and the need for continued
cooperation and coordination to address them.”

Blue-green algae, also called cyanobacteria, are common in most lakes, but in Grand Lake St.
Marys they grow thick feeding on phosphorus from manure and fertilizers that rain washes from
nearby farm fields. Similar blooms appear in Lake Erie and other inland lakes, usually starting in
late July or August.

The algae produce liver and nerve toxins that can sicken people and kill pets and fish. A
similar warning at Grand Lake was posted last year at this time.

The state has spent more than $8 million on algae-fighting efforts there. Most of the money was
spent on two chemical treatments meant to starve the algae by removing phosphorus from the
water.

Milt Miller, manager of the Grand Lake St. Marys Restoration Commission, said cleanup efforts
this year involve dredging sediment laden with phosphorus and using machines that aerate the
water.

Livestock farmers in the lake’s drainage basin also operate under state-imposed limits on the
amount of manure they can spread on fields.

Miller said area residents and visitors have grown accustomed to the warnings as his
organization and state officials continue their efforts to clean up the lake.

“It’s something we’re going to have to live with,” he said. “We’re not giving up.”